To prevent outsiders (e.g., “hackers”) from accessing a network entity, firewalls are installed on the network entity or somewhere between the hackers and the network entity. A firewall is a program or a set of related programs typically located at a network server or network entities that protect the resources of a network entity from other network entities by controlling communication between the network entities. In one particular example, the firewall may serve as a “fence” between the network entity and the Internet. That is, the firewall filters network traffic by allowing safe network packets to pass while restricting or rejecting unsafe network packets. In particular, the firewall examines each network packet to determine whether to forward the network packet to its intended destination or to stop the network packet from proceeding. For example, the firewall may compare the source address (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) address or domain name) of the network packet to an access list defined by a security policy of the network.
Known firewalls are often part of the main operating system (OS) in the network (i.e., OS dependent). Typically, network security is provided by a set of protocols embedded in an OS kernel and/or executed as independent applications. If the main OS is exploited and breached by a hacker and/or a virus, the lines of code implementing the firewalls may be vulnerable and exposed. Thus, using currently-available OS-based firewalls, a network may be left unprotected.